picture

1 of 2

noun

pic·​ture ˈpik-chər 

1

: a design or representation made by various means (such as painting, drawing, or photography)

2

a

: a description so vivid or graphic as to suggest a mental image or give an accurate idea of something

the book gives a detailed picture of what is happening

b

: a mental image

3

: image, copy

he was the picture of his father

she was the very picture of health

4

a

: a transitory visible image or reproduction

b

: motion picture

c

pictures plural : movies

5

: tableau sense 2

6

: situation

took a hard look at his financial picture

picture

2 of 2

verb

pictured; picturing ˈpik-chə-riŋ 

ˈpik-shriŋ

transitive verb

1

: to form a mental image of : imagine

2

: to describe graphically in words

3

: to paint or draw a representation, image, or visual conception of : depict

also : illustrate

Synonyms

Noun

• image
• portrait
• illustration
• depiction

Verb

• depict
• portray
• image

Examples of picture in a Sentence

Noun

I hung the picture on the wall.

The book has a lot of pictures.

Draw a picture of your house.

The staff looked at the financial picture of the company.

The overall economic picture is improving.

Verb

I can still picture the house I grew up in.

I can't picture changing jobs at this point in my life.

Picture what it would be like if you didn't own a car.

Can you picture him as a teacher?

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

On TikTok, Nicole shared a text exchange with Samantha, the mother who invited her, and Samantha reveals that Stasia and Jake were told that she was invited—Samantha even shared a picture of the meal Nicole had prepared, the now-iconic antipasto. —Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025

In terms of your five best pictures, Jaws, Dog Day Afternoon, Barry Lyndon, Nashville, and us — these were auteur-driven, from the talent, the creative side. —Jordan Hoffman Updated, EW.com, 10 July 2025

Verb

The Arsenal manager mentioned the midfielder could go on the three-match tour to the Far East, and he has been pictured training with the first team this week. —Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 July 2025

President Donald Trump, right, with then-Congressman Sean Duffy, are pictured in the Cabinet Room of the White House on January 24, 2019. —Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Latin pictura, from pictus, past participle of pingere to paint — more at paint

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing picture

• a picture is worth a thousand words
• (as) pretty as a picture
• big picture
• B picture
• enter the picture
• enter the picture/scene
• get the picture
• in the picture
• keep someone in the picture
• motion picture
• moving picture
• out of the picture
• paint a rosy picture
• paint/draw a picture of
• picture book
• picture card
• picture frame
• picture hat
• picture-perfect
• picture-postcard
• picture puzzle
• picture tube
• picture window
• picture writing
• put someone in the picture
• the picture of
• the picture of health

Rhymes for picture

• stricture

Kids Definition

picture

1 of 2 noun

pic·​ture ˈpik-chər 

1

: a design or image made on a surface (as by painting, drawing, or photography)

2

a

: a clear description in words

the book gives us a picture of another way of life

b

: a mental image : idea

do you get the picture?

3

: a particular combination of circumstances : situation

an improvement of the economic picture

4

a

: an exact likeness : copy

b

: a perfect symbol of something : embodiment

the picture of health

5

a

: an image on a screen

b

: motion picture

picture adjective

picture

2 of 2 verb

pictured; picturing ˈpik-chə-riŋ 

ˈpik-shriŋ

1

: to draw or paint a picture of : depict

2

: to describe vividly

3

: to form a mental image of : imagine